Pain is a Common Field
by Amelval
Summary: Who knew being the famous Lone Wanderer would be so… well, lonely? Injured and desperate for shelter, Perseus stumbles upon Underworld. The place is filled with ghouls, but one stands out in particular… Female Lone Wanderer/Charon


Sweat glistened against her red flushed skin. Painful gasps escaped her parched lips with every step she took. Blood fell like tears down her back; the previous brawl with a Deathclaw was both an unexpected and a near death experience.

Perseus, otherwise known as: The Lone Wanderer was in quite the predicament. With her medical supplies depleted and no current knowledge of any near by doctors... things were not looking good for our young vault dweller.

"How long have I've been walking for?" wiping away sweat with her sleeve, Perseus studied her Pip-Boy. "Please, please let me be near a settlement or somethi-"

Perseus was cut off by the sound of gunfire. Confusion overtook her then paranoia. Horror lurched up her throat. She'd just waltzed into an open gun fight. Without a moment's hesitation, she swore and dove behind a pre-war car for cover. She recognized the sound of Muties and humans. She knew all too well that both were equally as dangerous. Trembling with the shaking world, it took all her remaining courage to scout the scenario before her.

She had indeed waltzed right into a gun war between Super Mutants and humans unknown to her.

_Damn it all… how am I going to get out of this one?_

Perseus, losing more and more blood by the second was becoming desperate for shelter.

'_My vision is getting hazy; I'm gunna bleed out if I don't get patched up soon…'_

Looking over the hood of the ruined car once more, she studied the war zone carefully, praying for any sign of safety.

'_C'mon, C'mon, C'mon! Give me something here!'_

A figure not far from her caught her attention. It was a ghoul, no, no wait, a ghoulette. She could have been considered dangerous as well but her calm demeanor and over all disinterest in the war zone in front of her sparked a sudden trust in Perseus.

Tightening the straps of her carrier bag and trying her best to ignore the burning pain on her back, Perse made a mad dash for the Ghoulette.

-x|X|x-

Willow chucked her smoke dud to the ground, an audible sigh escaped her as she lazily gazed at the ongoing war outside of Underworld.

"Nothing exciting ever happens anymore." Willow said, reaching in her pocked for a new smoke.

Just as she began to light her cigarette she noticed something moving close to her in the corner of her eye. Without looking up she grinned and raised her laser rifle, aiming at the oncoming intruder. Although she aimed for the intruder's chest all she saw was messy, dirty blonde hair caked with dirt and blood.

"What the-" Willow took a good look at the person before her. It was a smoothskin, a female smoothskin, a very short, very hurt, female smoothskin.

"Hey you alright there kid-?" Willow stepped back when the young girl suddenly passed out in front of her.

Sighing again Willow put away her rifle and knelt down to help the unconscious girl.

"Another human with a death wish... Welcome to the Mall, tourist." Willow mumbled, opening the doors to Underworld.

-x|X|x-

Perseus woke up groggy, she felt slightly cold and slightly in pain. Taking in a deep breath made her realize she was on her stomach, topless and in her underwear for some odd reason. Moving her arm slightly she noticed a needle in her wrist, her eye's followed the needle all the way up to a blood pack.

'_Looks like I'm not dead and somewhat in safe hands'_

Perseus plucked out the needle and shifted her gaze to her other hand, focusing on the top right corner of her Pip-Boy she read the time.

3:00 AM.

Letting out a big sigh she mustered up some strength and began to sit up. She grabbed the sheets she was laying on and covered her bare chest.

'_Where am I? More importantly… where are my clothes?'_

Perse remained on the bed she woke up in. It was in the corner of what looked like a clinic. There were medical supplies and utensils here and there, a desk with a terminal, operating tables, a few partitions to hide patients, and…. A glass wall?

Perseus couldn't see what was beyond the glass from where she was. Slowly and cautiously she stood up, sheet well clutched against her chest she began to make her way towards the glass wall. There was another room beyond the glass, but what was in there?

With her face practically against the glass, Perseus looked all around the dim room from beyond.

"Huh… I was kinda hoping there'd be something in ther-"

A loud shriek came out of Perseus as a glowing feral practically popped out of nowhere and appeared right in front of her. Falling back and landing on her posterior Perseus continued to scream until the door on her left suddenly flew open.

"What the hell is going on!? Who's screaming!?" A male ghoul shouted as he angrily looked around his clinic. His eyes stopped once it caught the gaze of the young girl on the floor.

"Oh it's you," His eyes remained fixated on her as he walked towards her. "You shouldn't be moving around so much." Perseus tensed up when she felt his rough hands glide around her back. Confused and still a little frightened she quickly jerked away from the stranger and began to scoot away from him.

"W-who are you!? Why are those- those THINGS in there!?" Perseus shouted, much to the ghoul's annoyance.

"Calm down and quit yelling will ya? You're going to wake up all of Underworld, smoothskin." He said calmly yet still laced with annoyance.

"Underworld?" Perseus repeated.

"That's right, smoothskin" The ghoul crouched down and reached for the fallen sheet next to the young girl "My name's Barrows, Doc Barrows, and this is the Chop Shop. I run this clinic and I'm the one who stitched you up." He handed her the sheet.

Her faced burned red as she quickly wrapped herself in it. She'd completely forgotten about her provocative appearance and felt even more embarrassed about flashing the ghoul.

"I-I'm sorry, I forgot I was like this when I woke up I didn't mean to…." Her voice trailed off. She was too embarrassed to continue.

"Don't you worry yourself, smoothskin. I've seen it all before." Gently taking her by the arm, he helped her up and led her to an examination table. "Now let me see if my handy work held up through all your commotion."

Doc Barrows lifted the girl up on the table before she could do it herself. She tensed up a bit when she felt his fingers on her back again.

"Looks like it held up nicely," She watched the Doctor as he appeared in front of her. "Want to tell me how a kid like you got three deep gashes on her back? Not to mention costing me two and a half blood packs?"

Perseus frowned at his use of the word "kid". She's almost twenty for Christ's sake.

"First of all, I'm not a kid," She crossed her arms before speaking again. "And I can tell you one thing for sure, it was not at all on purpose. I was just scaving for some food when some freak deathclaw came outta nowhere!"

"Well that freak Deathclaw almost killed you." Doc barrows helped the young girl down and motioned her back towards the bed. "Lucky for you Willow brought you to me before you bled out."

"Willow? Was she the girl I saw standing outside of here?"

"That's right, She's our self-proclaimed sentry." The Doc walked over towards the desk with the terminal, he opened a drawer and pulled out an off white grunt shirt. He handed it over to the young smoothskin who graciously took it and quickly put it on.

"Um, where exactly is all my stuff at by the way? My clothes? My bag?" Perse asked, now wearing the off white grunt shirt that seemed two sizes too big on her.

"Willow has them, I suggest waiting until morning to pick them up," Once Perseus was somewhat clothed and back in bed he made his way back towards the door he previously appeared from. "May I also be expecting payment for my services in the morning aswell, smoothskin?"

Perseus paused for a moment before speaking up again.

"Oh, Yes! Of course!" Perseus said while nodding "And my name's Perseus, Perse for short, by the way." She said, realizing she hadn't told him her name yet until now.

Doc Barrows nodded and walked through the door.

"Good night, Perseus. See you in the morning"


End file.
